Mental health had largely been neglected for a long time until recently, when awareness increased about mental illnesses and their implications. With that, it became important for people to know what kind of treatment to seek for their mental illnesses. One of the most popular treatments for mental illness is psychotherapy, also known as therapy in short. Therapy is when a person speaks with a trained therapist in a safe and confidential environment to explore and understand feelings and behaviors and gain coping skills. It is a way to help people with a broad variety of mental illnesses and emotional difficulties. Studies have shown that individual psychotherapy is effective at improving symptoms in a wide array of mental illnesses.
There are various different types of therapy. Based on the person’s personality and the nature of problem they are dealing with, psychologists employ the right type of treatment.
Types of psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Cognitive behavioral therapy is meant to explore the thoughts, feelings and behaviors of a person and the relationship between them. CBT helps people identify and change thinking and behavior patterns that are harmful or ineffective, replacing them with more appropriate thoughts and functional behaviors. By addressing these patterns, the person and therapist can work together to develop constructive ways of thinking that will produce healthier behaviors and beliefs. It is an effective treatment for a wide variety of mental illnesses, including depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.
Interpersonal therapy (IPT): Interpersonal therapy focuses on the person’s relationships with others, aiming to improve the person’s interpersonal skills. It helps patients get to the core of underlying interpersonal issues that are troublesome, like unresolved grief, changes in social roles, conflicts with loved ones, and problems relating to other people. The primary goal of this therapy is to improve communication skills and increase self-esteem. It is usually used for depression caused by mourning, relationship conflicts, major life events, and social isolation.
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT): The term "dialectical" is derived from the idea of bringing together two opposites in therapy - acceptance and change, which brings better results than either one alone. When one comes to terms with their troubling thoughts, emotions or behaviors, it is easier to change those thoughts. The therapist helps the person develop new skills, like coping methods and mindfulness practices, to increase their power to change unhealthy thoughts and behaviors. It is often used to treat people with chronic suicidal thoughts and people with borderline personality disorder, eating disorders and PTSD.
Psychodynamic therapy: Psychodynamic therapy is based on the idea that behavior and mental well-being are influenced by childhood experiences and inappropriate repetitive thoughts or feelings that are unconscious (outside of the person’s awareness). The therapist then works with the person to understand and cope better with these feelings by bringing these associations to the person’s attention. It is often used for treating depression, anxiety disorders, borderline personality disorder, and other mental illnesses.
There are many other types of therapy like supportive therapy, exposure therapy, Mentalization-based Therapy, creative arts therapy, play therapy for children, etc.
To find out more about different therapies for mental illness or to enroll for one in Fort Lauderdale, schedule an appointment with our experts at La Noce Psychiatry.